to question nursery as to why they are serving jam sandwiches to babies?

[choceyes]

My DD is 14 months old and goes to nursery 3 days a week.

I won't know whether I am being precious or not, but it annoys me that occassionally she gets given jam sandwiches and also tinned spaghetti hoops on toast for her afternoon snack. I would never give these things to her at home. She always has healthy stuff, no treats at all, cos she is not a big eater, so I don't want to fill her up with junk.

My DS, 3yrs, is also at the same nursery, but there's nothing much I can do to stop him eating jam sarnies, as he would want to eat what his friends eat. and as he eats fairly well most of the time he can afford to have the occassional junk.

The nursery lunches are fine, and they also do fruit, chesse, crackers, tuna sandwiches for afternoon snack , so this probably happens about once a week I guess (i mean she gets either jam sarnies or hoops on toast maybe once a week, the rest of the meals are fine).

I dunno really. I was talking to a friend about it at the weekend and she was appalled at the jam sarnies, so got me thinking maybe I should say something to the manager.

I'm not in anyway a health freak, and against giving kids sugar, but not at 14 months, it's too young for me. And the nursery serves them to kids above 12 months I think.

It's just there is NO nutritional value in jam sarnies. I@d rather they gave her a flapjack or something (and they sometimes for the older ones dessert), which although has sugar, has got good things in it too.

how old are your DCs? are they older than 14 months?

what's wrong with chips? it's just potato cut into bits and baked right? as long as there is no salt on it, why not have it everyday?!

I envy the op, to have the time and energy to get so wound up over jam(I hate spaghetti hoops, but tinned spaghetti is nice)she really must not have much to worry about in life,

This is bonkers -all the worrying about what is sweetened with what and jam made with sugar is bad whilst jam made with (sugary) grape juice being good - surely its not good for you.

I try to eat most foods as near to their natural form as possible -sugarfree/fatfree foods are bizarre - its like trying to kid yourself you are not really eating !

I understand why this would bother you. I would just ask the nursery to not give your child jam sandwiches but something else. Is that an option?

Choceyes, your definition of "junk food" is entirelor nutritional "fact". There is no earthly reason why the nursery should accommodate your personal prejudices about food, unless they choose to. Have you tried just asking them NOT to feed your DC the items you object to?

well that poster has had first hand experience of having their childminder berated by Ofsted for giving jam sarnies? So her post is worth more than all the other ranty and frankly abusive posts that most of the 200+ posts were.

choceyes, they are 20 mths, 4 and 12.

WEll, i don't think there is anything wrong with chips, but I'm sure plenty on here do. And they are deep fried in fat. So doubt many on here would agree to their children having them.

YABU It wouldn't bother me one jot. As long as they were being well looked after, whats abit of junk here and there.

Sorry, that should have read: "your definition of "junk food" is entirely your subjective opinion and is not based or scientific or nutritional "fact".

choceyes why did you post in AIBU if you don't want anyone to say you are?

I feel sorry for that childminder.

I would prob give the odd jam sarnie to the children if i was a childminder.

Though on second thoughts, I'd never do the job. I wouldn't want to be berated my stuck up parents who treated their dc's like precious little princesses.

Sevenfolded I know what you mean about OP having the time and energy. Over 60 posts now on the the subject of jam sandwiches! (Can you tell I am bored at work?) I wonder how many posts a really contentious topic would warrant.

OP you win hands down - Carmenelectra coming a sorry second place.

So her post is worth more than all the other ranty and frankly abusive posts that most of the 200+ posts were

200 odd posters, 440 odd posts....bear in mind nearly all those other posters are other mothers with real kids, and they are not "ranty and abusive" in the main - but they are telling you that YABU, which you just don't want to hear.

Presumably it's Ofsted not the parents that had the problem with the jam sarnies Carmen.
ODn't mind chips fried in oil either. Kids need fats right?

Seven - I honestly don't know. I thought I might get some opinions to whether I was being unreasonable or not, but when most posters ranted at me saying "well I give/gave, or I was/given as a child cakes/jam/crips/chocs...and it never did me any harm kind of ranting, I kind of thought, nah I won't take these people's opinion seriously. I was looking for an educated, informed debate and I didn't get it.

Can you tell I am bored at work too?

I just think that a nursery should not be giving substandard food. It should be up to the parents to give at their discretion.

ffs... it is occasional, not given to them every day, and to be quite honest, if I were the nursery manager, I would tell you to piss off and take your money elsewhere... I really would.

Why not get an au-pair, then you can have complete control over every morsel that gets past your childs lips?

There is nothing substandard about an occasional jam sandwich or a bit of spaghetti on toast. It will not harm them, it will not poison them and it will not kill them. You never know, they might actually enjoy it.

I don't feel like you have responded to what I have written in this thread, re wholemeal bread and now sweetners. I don't think I have been ranty or abusive (okay, I said you were being smug once, but that's hardly abusive).

Sunrays,

You are right.

I'm a saddo.

OP YABU. Very.

I can't chat shit about jam sarnies all day.

choceyes so you only want educated responses?
so me saying that my dc have jam and have been fine won't cut it.[hhmm]

so talking about educated, where is your research to back up your stance that Jam is bad?

Frankly - if I was going to make an issue out of bread, marg & jam - it's the chemical concoction in the marg I'd be making the issue of, not the half teaspoon of jam.

If a childminder was 'scored down' for giving jam sandwiches as a snack once a fortnight she'd had a good case to have her review, reviewed. It's yet another reason why Ofsted ratings are a lot of complete bollocks.

If you had any idea of what you were talking about you would realise that a jam sandwich is not junk food.

Can you tell us why you thought you'd bother us with this AIBU because clearly you aren't prepared to accept that you are.

Ranting ? Educated informed debate ?
I was trying to reassure you that the odd jam sandwich eaten in the context of a balance diet is fine and that labelling foods good/bad is probably best avoided. I have successfully raised 2 children to be healthy,happy teenagers who will try anything .
What did you expect the examination of the molecular components of a jam sandwich ?

choceyes now I am imagining you bored at work and gnashing your teeth both at the shit that the nursery is feeding your LO and at the posters on here.

Haven't you got any minions you can shout at?

so how many people now want a jam sandwich??

mmmm think I will have a toasted muffin with butter (shock) and homemade plum jam (smug)

Who wants one and a ?